Queen of Darkness (Blood & Fangs Book 3), page 20
“Yes, that’s fine. I don’t want command anyway.”
“In addition, to help you get into her palace …” Hades snapped his finger and pointed behind us.
I turned to see a group of Enkk, outfitted for combat, holding the gear they had confiscated from Aaron and his team earlier. Eight of them in two ranks four deep stood still.
“They will go with you. Use them as you need.” Hades’ eyes burned brightly. “But do not fail. Either kill her or find another place to flee. I will not tolerate failure.”
“Yes, boss.” I surveyed the army again, awed by the sheer number of demons. Details were hard to make out this high up, but it was an impressive display of force.
“I have a question,” Dave said, raising a hand.
“It’s not a classroom, Dave,” I said, shaking my head.
“Uh, right,” he said sheepishly. “Anyway. Um. How are you going to get all these troops into her realm? She’s not just going to wait around peacefully.”
Hades grinned. “You’ll see.”
I waited for more explanation, but Hades didn’t offer any. Just a cryptic smile. It didn’t really matter how, as long as he could, so I let it slide.
“Are they ready to go?” I asked.
Hades grunted an affirmative, staring proudly out over his army. I had to wonder if he’d ever had cause to assemble his might like this. It was almost cute. He looked like a proud papa watching his baby do something for the first time.
“All right,” I said to Aaron, breaking the spell of the moment.
He waved at his team to grab their gear, and we filed out, heading down the stairs and then out onto the battlefield toward the giant demon king, who stood ready and waiting for the command.
The Enkk traveled behind us. I had no idea how we’d command them. Hopefully, they would just do as Aaron told them. Although I’d been the one to ask Hades for an army, I had no doubts about who was in command of this part of our mission. I had little combat experience. Aaron would lead us.
“A lot of vampires are going to die today,” Jaxton observed as we walked past rank after rank of restless, shifting demons. “Many of whom have no idea what they’re fighting for.”
“I know,” I said heavily. “And that’s something I aim to change. When I’m on the throne, things will be different. There will be changes.”
“Good,” Aaron said. “I support that wholeheartedly.”
“I will not be a tyrant,” I said. “And I expect the six of you to tell me if I start to become one.”
The others nodded.
“Damn,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t even want to be queen. Far too much temptation. I can already taste it now, and it terrifies me. All those people, willing to do as I say? Without even knowing me? No, we can’t have that. They need to know what and why they’re fighting if it ever comes to that again.”
“It won’t,” Aaron said. “Because you won’t be like her. You’ll be better.”
“I’ll try,” I whispered, suddenly overwhelmed by the looming responsibility if our mission succeeded.
“You’ll succeed,” he stated, and I couldn’t detect any doubt. Not in his words or the support that came through our link. “I believe in you.”
I took a quick breath. “Let’s just think about surviving what’s about to come, shall we? Then, we can move on to fixing what’s broken.”
“Agreed,” Aaron said.
“They’ll be waiting for us,” Fred pointed out. “Elenia. Corvis. The Nacht Bringers. All of them.”
I growled. “Good. It’s about time we ended this.” Looking up, I caught Abaddon’s eye and nodded. “Let’s do this.”
The demon army stirred to life.
Chapter Forty-One
Abaddon turned and walked across the blasted hellscape of the Underworld, crushing reddish rock under each of his gigantic three-clawed feet. Clutching his ax in hand, he approached a tiny rip in reality, where a few dozen demons stood guard.
The others and I flinched when he barked a command. The words, though I couldn’t understand them, hurt to hear.
“If we try to funnel this army through that door, we’ll be slaughtered,” I said. “It can fit two abreast and none of the heavies.”
“Just watch,” Fred suggested.
I eyed him sideways, then shrugged, my attention returning to the demon king as he reached down to the doorway.
“Holy fucking shit,” I gasped, not minding my language as I watched Abaddon.
Giant blackened fingers pushed through the tiny opening. The demon king braced his feet, and with a guttural roar, he started to stand up. Looking on in disbelief, Abaddon stretched the doorway open. He lifted and lifted, pulling it up ten, twenty, thirty feet, and more.
Then, he held it with one hand, bending down to grasp his ax, and used the damn thing to wedge the doorway open. The mighty weapon trembled for a moment but held. Lowering his shoulder, Abaddon started pushing the split in reality, sliding it open like it was a barn door, so easily did it move under his tremendous strength.
“That’ll do,” I whispered, awed as the opening stretched over a hundred feet wide. “Remind me never to tangle with Abaddon, okay?”
“If all goes well, we’ll never come back here,” Aaron pointed out. “So you’ll never have to worry about that even being a possibility.”
“And if it goes badly, I’ll come back as a powerless soul, so again, nothing to worry about. Perfect. I’ll be quite happy never to have him be on the other side.”
The demon army seemed to agree. Their roars and growls grew in volume as Abaddon gave them a passage into the Realm of the Undead that would fit enough of their army to make a difference.
Heads turned to me as the demon king slowed to a stop, muscles straining now.
“They are ready,” Fred whispered.
“So, what are we waiting for?” I said.
“They await your orders, I think,” Aaron said from the corner of his mouth.
“Oh. Um. Move out!” I called nervously, hoping that was the right order.
It was.
Horns brayed up and down the lines as the demon army dressed its ranks and headed toward the silvery-gray portal.
The foot soldiers advanced first. Most of these were the rather human-like Axotl, with their reverse-canted knees, hoofed feet, and spiked tails. Their faces were vaguely humanoid, minus the fur, flat noses, and, of course, the two upthrust fangs jutting out from their jaws. The front ranks carried shields, while those behind held long spears. Others had swords strapped to their backs.
Banners waved and fluttered in a breeze that I couldn’t feel as the army moved toward the split between realms. Orders were barked, grunted, growled, and chittered in a dozen different species equivalent of “stay together, don’t mess it up!”
Eventually, our turn came, and we started forward, tightly ensconced in the middle of the army. Our purpose was not to lend a hand in the fight but to sneak away once the battle was in action.
“Okay, everyone ready?” I asked as the first ranks neared the portal.
Weapons slid from safe to semi-automatic, while Fenrir and Drakul simply shook themselves loose, each ready to do battle in their own particular way. It was unlikely we would face resistance until we reached the palace, but we had no idea what was on the other side of the silver-gray wall.
As we got closer, formations of Djinn lifted from the ground on their tiny wings. The monkey-frogs hovered close overhead, moving with the rest of the army as it was swallowed up by the portal.
My heartbeat increased with each step as our turn approached. Soon, we were marching straight into the other realm without slowing down or taking time to see what we were getting into.
After all, ranks of demons were coming behind us. If we tried to stop, we’d be smashed flat.
“Oh, shit!” someone yelped as the noise of battle assaulted us as we crossed over.
The vampires weren’t just expecting us; they were ready. Massive formations of warriors were already slicing at the head of the emerging army of demons, swords cutting them down as more demons plowed onward, running over the attacking vampires.
Above, Djinn streaked downward with ferocious primate roars, targeting their ground-bound prey, ready to wreak havoc. However, as they got close, the vampires crouched, lifted their wrists, and let loose a hail of bolts from contraptions mounted to their forearms.
Djinn fell, screeching before being quickly silenced by the deadly bolts. Other demons were taken down by vampires carrying razor-sharp swords. However, as more demons poured through the portal by the second, the front was not only stabilizing but widening.
I watched as an array of giant catapults groaned and shook as vampires fired silver-white balls toward us. I watched as they hit the ground and cracked apart with a blistering hiss, the cold air sucking all heat from the surroundings—including the demons themselves. Whole ranks were frozen solid, only to be smashed to pieces as vampires road through them on horses, using clubs to break apart the ice statues.
A repeated croaking sound went up, and the ground trembled. I whipped my head around just in time to see a thick arrowhead formation of alligator-horses trot by. The long-snouted mouths were the sole weapons the demons possessed as the four stallion legs churned along effortlessly.
The two cavalry groups clashed, and the vampires swiftly found themselves retreating as powerful jaws tore them from the saddles and flung them to the ground, where they were quickly crushed.
“This is madness,” I whispered, overwhelmed by it all.
“This is war,” Aaron said darkly, grabbing my elbow and moving me forward, so we didn’t get in the way of “our” army.
Beyond our advancing army stood what had to be the entire assembled might of Madrigal. Vast formations of vampires stood ready and waiting to charge into the slaughterhouse. Clad all in black, they stood motionless, still, waiting to enter the violent chaos of the vortex between the groups.
More attacks from catapults and other, heavier siege equipment were set loose upon the demon lines. Chittering svipul, eel-like dogs, darted to the sides in thick lines, worrying at the flanks of the vampires and driving them back, forcing them to split their attention.
The ground trembled, and a monstrous form appeared through the portal. Walking on four legs, each the size of a school bus, the massive beetle stormed forward, its black chitinous shell glittering in the off-white light of the vampire realm.
It leaned in low over the vampires, and with a gush of air, flame spewed forward, incinerating an entire block of the bloodsuckers. I gasped as the heat bloom washed over us, even from this distance. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to be closer.
In response, half a dozen vampire formations split apart, revealing wooden contraptions topped with a wicked-looking metal point. Giant crossbows twanged, and the six-foot-long bolts flew through the air, impaling the beetle-thing. It reared up high on its two legs, screeching in pain, just as another bolt took it in the stomach.
The entire carapace split apart as fire spilled from the mortally wounded demon, washing over the demons closest. The creature galloped through the formation in its dying throes, trying to rid itself of the bolt embedded.
“Run for it!” Aaron shouted as it headed our way.
We raced to the side, ducking around and between marching formations of more demons than I’d ever seen before. We ignored their growls and shouts of anger as they were jostled and lost their step.
Moments later, the beetle’s continued spew of fire wiped them from the battle.
Eventually, the giant beetle crashed down, death finally overcoming it. The oncoming demons marched around it. The battlefront grew wider, and we watched from our vantage point as both sides poured reinforcements into the fray.
“Are we close?” I asked as the Enkk shadowed us.
“Just about,” Aaron said. “But I’d hoped that we’d get closer to Madrigal before the armies met. Having them right here is about the worst that could happen. We’ll easily be spotted leaving this formation. There’s nothing around us.”
He was right.
“We need transportation,” I said.
As if anticipating this, a dozen of the crocodile-horses swerved out of the mass and came toward us in a trot. Their broad backs looked exactly like any horse I’d ever seen. But their necks were scaled, and their heads were most certainly not horse-like. It was much larger, about three feet long, lined with razor-sharp teeth.
“I take it this is our ride?” Aaron said.
The lead creature tossed its head in a remarkable recreation of an impatient stallion.
“I guess we have our answer,” I said, stepping up to the closest of the beasts.
A thundering crash sounded as two new formations crashed together, drawing my attention back to the battle at hand.
A battle I was responsible for. I had wrought all of this death and destruction. My actions.
“All of this to kill one person,” I whispered, shaking my head.
“All of this to put a stop to more of it,” Aaron said. “We are only doing what we must, to stop her. She is doing this because she wants to.”
“Perhaps,” I said. “But I can’t help but feel a bit responsible.”
“Then take your responsibility,” he growled. “And shove it and a sword straight down her throat. Make sure that this isn’t done in vain.”
I bared my teeth. He made a very good point.
“Come on,” I said, hopping astride the beastie as best I could. “Let’s go kill the queen.”
Chapter Forty-Two
With the others clinging to the scaly necks of our mounts, the beasts took off, heading for the right side of the demon formation. As we did, the rest of the demon cavalry joined us, picking up other groups as we went, until nearly two hundred of them galloped around us.
“I thought we wanted to be stealthy?” I shouted at Aaron, desperately clinging to my mount as my hair whipped out behind me.
“No chance this far out,” he called back. “They’re going to punch a hole for us. Then, we ride as fast and as hard as we can.”
“They’ll see us,” I growled, jealous at the easy way he rode the beast, making it look effortless.
“So, we had better not take too long, then, shouldn’t we? Get in quick, don’t stop for anyone, and get the job done. Once Elenia is dead and you’re on the throne, they’ll obey you. You can end this.”
“I guess.”
I fell silent as we rounded the edge of a formation of Axotl and plunged through a gap and then another. The croc-allions, as I named them, pivoted sharply, and their croak-croak-croak battle cry sounded.
“Oh, shit!” I howled as we charged the vampires, our little group safely ensconced in the middle, while the Enkk casually ran alongside us, easily keeping pace.
The thick legs of the croc-allions—horsi-gators?—churned easily through the flimsy vampires, crushing them underfoot or simply darting their heads down and crushing them between their powerful jaws.
It was over in seconds, and we emerged out the far side, the bulk of our escort peeling off and slamming into the side of the vampire army, killing as they went. They drew the vampires’ attention, allowing us precious moments to accelerate and pull away behind them.
I had to hold on for dear life. The ground flashed past underneath as we got up to full speed and cruised, swiftly distancing ourselves from the vampires behind us. I groaned and clung tighter to the neck of my mount. My thighs would be bruised for a week from trying to squeeze tight and stay on.
“Guys, we might have a problem,” Jaxton called from behind me.
Seeing him point to our left, I followed his finger. The bouncing gallop of the horsi-gator made it tough to focus on details, but I didn’t need to. What Jaxton had spied was very obvious to see.
A block of vampire cavalry had split off and was heading toward us.
“It must be Corvis and the Nacht Bringers!” Aaron shouted.
How he could tell that, I didn’t know, but it felt right. If anyone were going to come after us, it would be Corvis. I didn’t relish the thought of going up against him again. He would probably be hot for retaliation after Aaron had all but shot him dead in the parking lot of the blood bank.
“We’re not going to have long before they catch us!” I called.
“Then, we make the most of it,” Aaron said.
Our lead was substantial, and it seemed to be growing, but the first time we encountered any resistance closer to the palace, we would be in trouble. Corvis was going to be perfectly primed to attack us from the rear while we were busy trying to smash our way into the throne room.
“Making the most of it,” as Aaron had suggested, was going to be difficult, if not downright impossible. The Black Nacht was simply not going to give us that time.
“We need to delay him somehow!” I shouted.
Aaron didn’t reply, but I could see by his face that he knew it, too. They were too close. Our plan wasn’t going to work.
“Dammit.”
The muffled curse was only audible thanks to my wolf’s hearing. I turned just in time to see a giant black form catapult off the back of the horsi-gator and go racing toward the oncoming vampire cavalry.
“What the hell does he think he’s doing?”
“Buying us time,” I said to nobody in particular, just as another horsi-gator croak-croaked and whirled, charging after Fenrir’s racing form. Astride the back of his mount, Drakul unsheathed his sword and went to aid the wolf.
Inside, my own wolf howled to be let out. She wanted to run free, too. Her mind spoke to me of power and speed. We could run far more comfortably on all fours than we could riding the beast.
Not yet, I urged, watching as Fenrir smashed into the side of the vamps, sowing confusion as he went. He was fast, and his presence disrupted the careful formation, drawing away many of the Nacht Bringers.
But a small group broke free of him and evaded Drakul’s wild attack as well, charging after us instead.
